


Underrated

by MsChievous



Series: Prompto Week 2017 [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Poor Prompto, Prompto just needs a hug and it takes over 15 pages to give him one, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 12:56:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12458250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsChievous/pseuds/MsChievous
Summary: Day 4 of Prompto Week:Alternate Universe * Fears/InsecuritiesAlso a fill forthiskinkmeme





	Underrated

**Author's Note:**

> Thank ellay_gee for the extended length on this one. I asked her "Shorter with a little less angst or longer with a little more" and I already knew the answer but I just wanted confirmation.
> 
> So I hope y'all are buckled in.

When Prompto woke up that morning, he realized something was off. Usually, he slept in the middle of the tent, between Gladio and Ignis, but right now, he was practically crushed into the far corner.

“C’mon Prompto, let’s get hustling!” A gruff voice barked.

Prompto opened his eyes blearily. Gladio was leaning over him, shaking his shoulder roughly. “Hey there, big guy, I’m up,” He said, sitting up slowly. “What time is it?”

“Too damn late for you to still be sleeping. _That’s_ what time it is,” Gladio said, stalking out of the tent without another word.

The words hit Prompto in the gut, like a punch from one of Gladio’s meaty fists. Was it really that late? Why didn’t they wake him up earlier? It- It was only eight thirty. That wasn’t late at all. Even Noctis was still asleep, curled up as usual at the foot of the tent. Prompto smiled as he exited the tent.

Ignis was sitting on one of the folding chairs, sipping a can of ebony, while Gladio was in the middle of a set of pushups. He grinned at the familiarity and sat down in the chair next to Ignis. “How are you doing, Ignis? Sleep well?” He asked.

Ignis merely raised an eyebrow and pointedly scooted his chair a few inches away from Prompto.

It was like a slap in the face.

“Wh-what’s wrong? Do I smell?” He asked with a weak smile.

“My bubble of personal space is simply larger with people I don’t like,” Ignis said simply.

Prompto’s mouth slackened. He couldn’t believe Ignis actually _said_ that. Out _loud_ . He had always _suspected_ Ignis felt that way about him, but he had always pushed it aside, thinking Ignis wouldn’t hang around with people he didn’t like. Apparently, Ignis had just snapped.

He trained his gaze on the ground, trying to ignore the uncomfortable silence that followed. Ignis was probably just having a bad day, that was it. A bad day could make anyone snippy. After a few minutes, he heeded his grumbling stomach and grabbed some breakfast from the workstation. He turned around to go back to his chair, but Gladio was sitting there, leaning close to Ignis.

“Uh, Gladio, I-I was sitting there,” Prompto stuttered.

Gladio turned around and stared hard at Prompto. “You gave up this seat the second you got up. Sorry, I don’t make the rules,” Gladio said.

Taking a step back, Prompto let out a shaky breath. Okay, so maybe _both_ Gladio and Ignis were having a bad day. That’s okay, he just had to brighten their day and stay out of their way.

“You got it, big guy!” He said, collapsing into the chair farthest away from Ignis. “This breakfast smells _soooo_ good” Prompto shoveled a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth.

“Don’t talk with food in your mouth,” Ignis said.

Prompto’s stomach dropped, but he kept up his smile and swallowed, “Sorry ‘bout that! I just get so excited when there’s good food around,” he said.

No one responded, so he quickly finished his breakfast and fished out his phone to play King’s Knight. He was just finishing up the last boss fight when Noctis stumbled out of the tent, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

“Hey, buddy, morning!” Prompto called.

Noctis just looked at him, nodded, and shuffled to the pot of oatmeal. When he had finally settled in the chair between Ignis and Prompto, he turned to his advisor. “So what’s the plan, Specs?”

Ignis pushed his glasses up his nose. “We need to take on at least one hunt to make up for the potions we spent on a certain _somebody_ ,” Ignis looked pointedly at Prompto, who flushed bright red.

He really _had_ used too many potions this week. And knew the others were always a little annoyed whenever he used them, but… but he only used them when it was _serious_. Like, going-to-bleed-out serious. “I-uh… yeah, yeah, that sounds fine,” He said, keeping his eyes downcast.

“I should say so. Once we finish the hunt, we must make way to Lestallum. Iris will be waiting for us there,” Ignis said. “Gladio, will you help me take down the tent?”

Prompto jumped to his feet. “I’m done eating, I can help, too!” He said.

“No, you’ll just get in the way,” Ignis said. “Just sit there.”

Disappointment bloomed in Prompto’s chest, and he obeyed, blinking back burning tears. Noctis finished up his meal and lounged back, staring at his phone.

“H-hey, wanna play King’s Knight?” Prompto asked quietly. If Noctis was having a bad day too, Prompto was going to lose his mind.

“Yeah, sure,” Noctis said, tapping on his phone screen.

“Really? Awesome! I’m gonna kick your ass, dude,” Prompto said. Good, Noctis still seemed to like him. He could deal with the others having a bad day, as long as Noctis still wanted to hang around him.

Noctis laughed. “Dude, you _suck_ at this game. I don’t know why you like playing it so much.”

Prompto echoed Noctis’ laugh weakly, “I wouldn’t say I _suck_ ,” He said, “I-”

“ _I_  would,” Noctis nudged Prompto in the shoulder, “Dude, how long have you been on level fifteen?”

It felt like his world was crumbling down around him. Sure, he and Noctis had a teasing sort of relationship, but this… this was too far. But Noctis was looking at him expectantly. He had to respond. “Um… two weeks,” He said.

“Dude, two _weeks_ ? It only took me one _day_ to get from level fifteen to level sixteen.” Noctis said.

Prompto winced. “Y-yeah, I...I guess I don’t have your dexterity, dude.”

“ _That’s_ an understatement,” Noctis snorted.

“Dude, that’s a kinda mean to say,” Prompto said, brows furrowing.

“Yeah,” Noctis conceded, “But it’s true. You _suck_ at games.”

He didn’t really have anything to say to that, so he just shrugged, pulling out his phone and tapping weakly at the screen.

“C’mon, Prom, you gotta pull your weight,” Noctis said, tapping frantically on the boss they were fighting together. “I can’t do _everything_ by myself.”

It was hard to focus with his heart hammering in his chest and his hand shaking so bad, but he somehow managed to do some damage to the boss before Noctis killed it with a truly impressive finishing move.

Noctis crooned, jumping to his feet. “Hell, _yeah_!”

Uncertainty, Prompto held out his hand for a high-five, but quickly pulled his hand back when Noctis jumped toward Ignis and Gladio.

“Hey, Iggy, Gladio, I just beat that big boss I was telling you about? Whadda you say about celebrating by sleeping in a motel tonight?”

Ignis turned around and gave a smile. “Well, congratulations, Noctis. I suppose a night in a caravan would not be amiss for such a grand accomplishment,” He said.

Noctis pumped his fist in a “yes” motion. “You hear that Prom? We get a caravan tonight!” He crooned.

Prompto forced a smile, “Yeah, that’s super cool!”

 

* * *

 

Prompto had hoped that the others would get out of their funk after working out their frustrations out on the voretooth they were hunting, but, if anything, it got worse.

When Prompto tried to surge forward to catch a voretooth off guard while it was focused on Noctis, but Gladio grabbed a fistful of his jacket and threw him back several feet.

“Stay back!” Gladio yelled, “We don’t want you messing up our strategy. Just stay back and pick off the stragglers.”

Red-hot shame burned in his cheeks and he obeyed. He scrambled to his feet, readying his gun and tracking his shots. He noticed one about to pounce on Ignis and took it down with a well-placed shot.

Gladio whirled around, eyes glinting in anger, “What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing?” He demanded, turning back to deal with yet another voretooth, “You could have shot Iggy!”

“B-but, I... “ Prompto stammered. The voretooth had been in between him and Ignis, sure, but he wasn’t so bad a shot that he could have hit Ignis. Gladio should have known that. But instead of saying anything, Prompto bit his lip and lowered his gun.

He _knew_ it was dangerous to fire into a situation where his friends were mixed with his enemies: if he missed, he could easily cause a lot of damage. But he had always been an uncanny shot, and he had thought his friends had always trusted him enough to let him make his own decisions. But if they were living every fight in constant fear that a stray bullet could end their life, then he had to respect that. So he called out when his friends were in danger, shooting away from the others and voretooth that tried to chomp on him.

When Noctis finally took down the last voretooth with a warp-strike, Gladio immediately whirled on Prompto. “What was all that prancing around about? You have a job to protect your prince, so _do_ it,” He said, stabbing a finger into Prompto’s chest.

“It _was_ terribly hazardous to shoot around others. I thought you knew that, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you hadn’t picked up on that,” Ignis said. “If you cannot conform to that standard, perhaps it would be best for us to leave you behind for the hunts.”

“That’s what _I’ve_ been saying,” Gladio said before Prompto even had a chance to respond to Ignis. “A couple weeks isn’t enough time to learn to fight alongside us. You’d need _years_ of training and then some.”

Prompto tried not to be so put down. He _knew_ that. He _knew_ that he was a liability in combat, but every time Gladio would tell him he did a good job, or Ignis commented on his accuracy, or Noctis mentioned that his techniques were super effective, he felt the anxiety lift. Now, they were too tired of his shit to pretend to enjoy dealing with him. He must have really messed up somewhere, but he can’t remember _where_. Was it just a case of the straw breaking the camel’s back?

“Hurry _up_ , Prompto!” Noctis called.

With a start, Prompto realized he had stopped walking alongside the others, and he hurried to pull even. “S-so what are we doing now?” Prompto asked.

“Turning in the hunt,” Ignis said, “what else _would_ we be doing?”

“I-” Prompto gaped for a few seconds before shutting his mouth and shrugging. “I dunno,” He mumbled under his breath.

“What was that? You really need to speak up, Prompto. I can hardly hear you with how often you mutter. It’s unbecoming of a Crownsguard,” Ignis snapped.

Prompto nodded, flushing bright pink. “Ah, sorry, Iggy, I-”

“Did I _tell_ you that you could use that nickname?” Ignis asked sharply.

“Um… no…” Prompto did his best not to whisper, but his throat was rapidly closing up. He was just making things _worse_ , but he wanted to make it _better_.

“Then why did you just use it now?”

“I, um, I’m sorry, Ignis. I won’t do it again,”

Ignis nodded once. “See to it you don’t.”

 

* * *

 

Even riding in the _car_ was different. When Prompto started to reach for the passenger seat, Noctis leaned against the doorway, keeping Prompto from opening it.

“Dude, why are you riding shotgun?” he asked.

“Um, I thought you said it was okay, because of my stomach and stuff. Y’know…” He shrugged.

Noctis just rolled his eyes. “You need to stop being such a baby. Gladio _reads_ in the car, I’m sure you can just, like, stare out the window to pass the time.”

Prompto fidgeted with his fingers. “W-well, I mean, looking out the window makes it worse…” He said.

With a shrug, Noctis pushed Prompto aside a little too roughly and got into the passenger’s seat. “Then don’t do that. I don’t care. But I’m the prince and I wanna ride in front. So go help keep Gladio company.”

Prompto nodded slowly, moving to obey before Gladio or Ignis yelled at him for being too slow.

As expected, the nausea was worse in the back seat, and he spent the entire car ride trying to think of _anything_ except how sick he felt, to little avail. It would have been fine if the car ride had only been half an hour, but it dragged on for nearly four hours, without any breaks. Prompto was about ready to cry when they finally parked in Lestallum.

 

* * *

 

After meeting with Iris and talking about the collapse of the Crown City, Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio decided to explore their surroundings again.

Before the others could feel pressured to invite him along, Prompto collapsed in bed. “It’s been a long day, guys, I’m just gonna hit the sack.”

Noctis made an act of trying to get him to come along, but it was shallow and easily forgotten, just like his smile. “Well, if you’re sure…” He said, “Let’s go. I wanna see what kind of food they have!”

Ignis chuckled. “Should I be jealous, Highness?” He asked playfully.

Then, the door clicked shut behind them, muffling the rest of their conversation.

Finally, Prompto was safe enough to break down. Once the tears started, they didn’t stop for a while. Every little interaction he had with his friends came back in vivid technicolor. Maybe he _had_ been a little too close to Ignis, especially that early in the morning, and Gladio _did_ prefer the green chair, and maybe he had shot a _little_ too close to Ignis, and it _was_ rude of him to hog the passenger seat for the entire trip…

He didn’t know how long he had laid, curled up in a ball on his side, sobbing his guts up, but it had been too long. He needed to take a shower, and then try to get some sleep, if the iron band of panic around his ribs would loosen enough for him to take a deep enough breath.

He turned the shower on as high as it would go and stepped inside. It burned, but it felt good at the same time. He took his time, scrubbing his skin raw and practically tearing out his hair in his attempt to clean it.

It was a while, but still not long enough, before he turned off the water and got into his pajamas. It was a blessing to curl up in the blankets, surrounded by muffled darkness and comfort. While the Leville wasn’t the swankiest place Prompto had seen, for the price, it was still _really_ comfy.

He just hoped he could get to sleep before the others got back.

Then, almost as if the Astrals liked to laugh at his misfortunes, the door swung quietly open.

“Hey, Prompto?” He heard Noctis whisper, “Are you awake?”

He should have said yes, sat up, and asked them how their day went. But he didn’t want to screw up any more than he had already, so he just didn’t respond. He kept his breathing deep and even, imagining a pile of baby chocochicks.

“Yeah, sounds like he’s out,” Gladio whispered. “Thank the fucking Astrals.”

Ignis snorted. “Yes, I must agree, he is much more amenable while unconscious.”

“Seriously, Noct, what do you _see_ in an idiot like that?” Gladio asked.

Prompto’s throat closed up, and he struggled to keep his breath even. This was it. This was his worst nightmare: the others all secretly thought he was a terrible person, and now they were talking about it. Maybe he really _should_ have gone around Lestallum with them, if only to keep them from talking about him behind his back and realizing they all hated him.

But it was too late now.

“I dunno,” Noctis sighed, “You befriend a loser nobody and give ‘em the time of day occasionally, and they’ll basically lay down their lives for you.”

Prompto’s ears roared. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Noctis, his _best friend_ in the _world_ , was calling him a loser, admitting that he _manipulated_ him. This couldn’t be real life, it _had_ to be a dream!

“Like, did you see him in Crownsguard training?” Noctis laughed lightly, “Cor kicked his fucking ass every day, and he still went through with it.” Then, Noctis paused. “But, yeah, if I could re-do it, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to take him along. Probably would’ve told him it’s “too dangerous” or whatever.”

“I would be inclined to agree, Highness,” Ignis sighed. “He simply doesn’t have the right mindset for work such as ours. Constantly bumbling around like a clown, it’s unbecoming of a servant of the Crown.”

“Not to mention his combat,” Gladio said, “The kid could use ten years of training or so. At least he’s a ranged fighter so he can stay out of our way.”

Prompto couldn’t stand it anymore. He felt like he was suffocating and burning up at the same time. His chest felt like a hot iron band was tightening around him, forcing the breath from his lungs.

Desperately, he lunged to his feet, ignoring Noctis’ shout of surprise. His ears were roaring, he couldn’t hear what Noctis was saying. Not that it mattered, anyway. He couldn’t- _wouldn’t_ stay here. He was wearing nothing but an old pair of sweatpants and a plain white undershirt, but he would run out _naked_ if it got him away from here.

He hurried down the stairs and out into the oppressive heat. Even past midnight, Lestallum never seemed to cool down, but he wasn’t thinking about that. He was thinking about how he could get as far away from this hotel as possible.

He blew past a small shop at the corner of the alleyway, ignoring the vendor’s calls to see if he was okay. He obviously wasn’t. But now that every step was taking him away from the others, it was slightly easier to breathe. Still difficult, but easier.

After just a minute or two of running, he found himself pausing in the middle of the main thoroughfare. He glanced around uncertainty. There were two alleyways forking out in front of him. A quick glance told him the right one was empty, so he ducked into that one, running for a few more minutes before his adrenaline left him, and he skidded to a stop.

With a muffled sob, he pushed himself between a white brick column and the series of blue piping, wedging himself in so it would be hard for people passing through the thoroughfare to see him.

Finally free from prying eyes, Prompto slid down the wall and hugged his knees to his chest. Then, the tears slipped out.

At first, he tried to stop them. He didn’t deserve to be sad. He was the one making the others _miserable_ , but that thought only served to add fuel to the fire, and his tears fell even harder, shoulders shaking with the effort of holding it all in.

He didn’t know how long he sat there, sobbing so hard it felt like he was going to puke, but he was jolted out of it by a gentle hand on his shoulder.

With a start, Prompto jerked away from the touch, head whipping up to stare at whoever had just touched him. _Please don’t let it be one of_ them _, please, please, please_.

A middle-aged woman in an odd silvery jumpsuit was staring down at him worriedly. “You okay, kid?” She asked.

Prompto bit his lip and tried to hold back the tears, but they just pushed past his defenses and fell down his cheeks. He brushed the tears away the best he could, doing his best to keep his voice level. “I-I’m fine,” He managed, in a tone of voice that very clearly suggested he was _not_ fine.

The woman just clucked her tongue and crouched down next to him. “You want to talk about it?”

He didn’t respond right away. He wasn’t quite sure if he did, but the woman stayed there patiently until he calmed down enough to stutter out an explanation. “I-My friends were talking, and they thought I was asleep. They… they were saying mean things like I was a loser, and useless, an-and…” Prompto trailed off, hugging his knees tighter to his chest. His breathing was coming faster, and it was getting harder to breathe.

“Hey now,” the woman said, “Deep breaths. In and out.”

Once Prompto had calmed down yet again, he got shakily to his feet. “Th-thanks. I...I needed that.”

“Where are you going?” the woman got to her feet as well. She was a couple inches shorter than Prompto. Her blunt hairstyle and crows feet reminded Prompto of his own mother and that knife in his gut gave another little twist.

“I-I was going to go…” Prompto paused, furrowing his eyebrows. He was going to go _back_. But why? The others had made it clear that Prompto was nothing more than a burden. If he went back to them, he would just be making their lives miserable. He bit his lip and looked at the ground. He had no money and only the clothes on his back. He could still feel that tingle of magic that meant he could access the Armiger, but it would feel like stealing if he took anything.

The woman sighed. “Come with me. You can crash at my place until you can get back on your feet.”

“No, please, I don’t want to impose,” Prompto said, backing away.

Fixing him with a glare, the woman said, “Come with me. I’m not going to let a kid sleep on the streets.”

Prompto hunched his shoulders. “A-are you sure? ‘Cause I can, like, find somewhere else.” He didn’t want this woman to feel like she _had_ to help him out. He wished he was good at figuring out other people’s expressions so he could know if she was actually bothered by him.  

“You’re not imposing, and, as I already said, I’m not going to let you sleep on the streets, kid,” the woman said sternly. “My house isn’t far from here and I’ve got an extra bed. Just wait for a second.”

The woman pulled out a phone and started tapping at it for a few minutes before stuffing it back in her pocket. “Okay, let’s get going.”

 

* * *

 

Prompto woke up the next morning in a confused haze. He remembered going to bed in the nice lady’s house, but he was staring up at the canvas of their tent. What… what had just happened?

He jolted into a sitting position, scrambling to grab his phone and check the time. Eight ‘o’ clock. Okay. If he got up now, Gladio wouldn’t be mad at him. He got to his feet and clambered out of the tent quietly, so as not to disturb Noctis.

Ignis glanced up from his seat. “You’re up early,” He noted.

Prompto nodded. “Yeah. Breakfast smells good, Ignis!” He served himself a portion of oatmeal, topping it with the usual nuts and raisins.

Ignis quirked an eyebrow. “Thank you,” he said, taking a sip of Ebony. “Are you feeling quite alright? You’re looking rather pallid.”

“N-no!” Prompto assured the brunet, “I’m fine!” He headed towards the closest seat but remembered Ignis scooting away from him and made a beeline for the farthest chair. His heart pounded in his chest as Ignis looked him up and down, then looked back at his phone.

He let out a faint sigh of relief. He wasn’t quite sure _what_ was happening, but perhaps the gods were taking pity on him and offering a second chance. If that was the case, he would do his damndest to act correctly.

 

* * *

 

He must have been doing something right because Noctis was joking easily with him, Gladio didn’t make any remarks about being a burden, and Ignis even mentioned wanting to see the shots he took. A pleasant warmth settled in his stomach. He was doing _so well_ now. He just needed to make it through the hunt, and the drive to Lestallum.

His stomach was churning with nervousness as they got out of the car and tracked the pack of voretooth to their nest.

Remembering how pissed Gladio got when he was firing towards the others, Prompto stayed back, shooting down only those beasts that were far away from his friends. He was getting into this new rhythm when he noticed a voretooth getting too close to Noctis.

With a burst of speed, Prompto managed to shove Noctis aside and put his arm up to block the brunt of the attack.

White-hot pain shot up his arm, and he felt himself being shoved back. He faintly heard Noctis shouting something, but the pain was so bad, and some force was shaking his body back and forth from the arm, like a dog with a chew toy. As he dropped into darkness, he felt a sense of relief. He _had_ laid down his life for Noctis, just as the prince wanted.

 

* * *

 

Prompto cracked open his eyes, hissing at the brightness of the sun.

“Prompto!” Noctis was somewhere next to him, a strange tightness in his voice.

“‘Ey there, Noct,” Prompto lolled his head to the side where Noctis’ voice was coming from and smiled. “Y'okay?”

Noctis furrowed his eyebrows. “Yeah, I’m fine, dude. But you almost weren’t. You’re lucky we had a potion left, or you’d be dead.

That wiped the smile off Prompto’s face. That’s right, they were running low on potions. And they had used some on _him_? Ignis had been mad at him for using too many in the practice world. So he’d be mad here. He had just fucked up.

His mind whirled through what had just happened. What were his options? He could have shot the voretooth, but he would have been shooting near Noctis, which Gladio didn’t like. He could have tried to warn Noctis to get out of the way, but that could have been more distraction and gotten him hurt worse. He could have… he could have…

“Okay, Prompto? We’re gonna go turn in the quest now,” Noctis said, “Can you get up?”

He really wasn’t quite sure, but now that he was on thin ice again, he _had_ to. So he pushed himself up onto shaky legs and took a few steps. It wasn’t _that_ bad. He was just a little dizzy. With rest, he would feel better.

He stumbled a few steps forward, bumping into Ignis. He jerked away with a muttered apology.

Ignis just stared at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Do you require another potion, Prompto?” He asked.

Prompto shook his head. “Nah, I jus’ need to stop being a lil’ bitch about it,” He mumbled. “I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re certain,” Ignis said slowly.

With a grateful sigh, Prompto stumbled into the car, relaxing into the plush leather seats. He had never been more grateful for the tinted windows, blocking out the sun’s harsh rays.

“Uh, dude?” Noctis opened Prompto’s door and leaned inside. “You’re in my seat.”

Prompto glanced around in confusion. He was sitting in the back like the other Noctis wanted him to do. “Oh, well, don’t you want to sit up front?” He asked.

“It’s not comfy to sleep up there. Besides, I thought you got carsick riding in the back.”

“Oh, it’s okay, but, um, if you want to sit here…” Prompto bit his lip.

“I don’t care. I just want you to be comfortable. You had a bit of a rough day, didn’t you?” Noctis leaned against the car door.

This was a trick, Prompto could sense it. He just wanted Noctis to say what _he_ wanted, so Prompto could make sure he was doing it. He hated the guessing, the not knowing. He just wanted Noctis to _tell_ him what to do. “Doesn’t matter to me dude, whatever _you_ want.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “We won’t get anywhere. Just choose one.”

“No, you!”

“Seriously, I don’t care, _you_ choose.”

“No, y-”

“Here,” Gladio interrupted sharply, “ _I’ll_ sit in front, and you two can share the back if you can’t agree on it.”

Prompto just ducked his head. At least someone other than _him_ was making the decisions. If Noctis got mad, he should get mad at Gladio. But wait. What if this was another test? What if Prompto had to stand up to Gladio to prove that he was worthy of being Noctis’ friend? What if-

“Seriously, Prompto, are you okay? You’re looking a little pale.”

“I-I’m fine, it’s no big,” Prompto assured him.

“No, seriously, you look ready to hurl. Just sit in the front seat. It’s no big deal.”

Prompto’s heart was hammering in his chest. Was that Noctis really saying he was okay with Prompto sitting in the front, or was it actually a test, to see how dedicated Prompto was? He couldn’t think. He couldn’t choose. He was frozen, with the others staring at him. _Right_ at him. They were getting annoyed with him, he could feel it.

Prompto nodded quickly and slid out of Noctis’ seat. He just had to make a choice. It was probably the wrong one, but he made a choice, and he was sticking to it.

 

* * *

 

He had hoped the ride to Lestallum would have been easier if he was sitting in the front seat. But no. Everyone was giving him the side-eye. He would occasionally look into the rearview mirror and catch Noctis looking at him, face pinched. He tried to ignore it, but he could hear the words they weren’t saying: _No matter how hard you try, you’re never going to be good enough_.

Time couldn’t pass fast enough until they had finally arrived at Lestallum. “I’m… I’ll meet you at the hotel, okay?”

“Where are you going?” Noctis asked.

“I, uh, I have a friend that I wanna say hi to real quick,” Prompto said. Sure, Holly didn’t know him _yet_ , but if she helped him once, maybe she’d do it once again?

“I didn’t know you had a friend in Lestallum. What’s their name? Can we meet them?” Noctis asked.

“Uh, it- her name’s Holly,” Prompto responded.

“Oh,” Gladio grinned knowingly. “It’s a _girl_ , then? Oh, then maybe we _shouldn’t_ interrupt.”

A blush crept into Prompto’s cheeks and he shook them away. “I, it-” He spluttered.

Ignis rested a hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “He’s only teasing,” Ignis assured, “By all means, go say hello to your friend. We’ll let you know the room number.”

Prompto watched the others leave, legs feeling numb. He only wanted their approval. Why did they make it so hard to get? He couldn’t deal with the pressure of having to constantly guess how to act. He just wanted someone to tell him what he had to do to get them to stay.

Slowly, Prompto turned toward the residential area of town, following a vaguely familiar path towards where he remembered Holly’s house was. It was pretty late, and Holly had mentioned she had been out late checking on the steam valves. If the weird other world wasn’t tricking him, she wouldn’t be around for nearly three hours. But he was prepared to wait.

 

* * *

 

Okay, three hours was a _long_ time to wait. He was half-tempted to just wait by where he had met Holly last time, but there was the _slightest_ chance the others would go that way, and he didn’t want to risk it. He leveled his King’s Knight character up to level sixteen (Take _that_ , Noct!), watched a couple videos of baby chocobos, and scrolled through his Instagram feed for a while before he noticed a familiar figure turn the corner.

“Holly!” He called, hurrying to the woman’s side.

She stiffened and took a step back. “Can I help you?” She asked cautiously.

Prompto froze. Right. When Holly had met him the first time, he had been crying in a corner. He had looked helpless and pathetic. Now, he was approaching her, in the middle of the night, in a relatively secluded area. This _had_ to look bad. He doubted she would help him now, she’d probably just call the cops.

“I-I’m sorry, I just… nevermind.” Prompto ducked his head and hurried back towards downtown Lestallum. What could he do now? He _could_ go back to the others. But he really didn’t want to. They must be better off without him.

So where could he go? Away from Lestallum, obviously. But he couldn’t take the Regalia, and he didn’t have enough money to rent a chocobo. He _could_ try hitchhiking his way to Wiz’s Chocobo Post or something, but he wasn’t all that comfortable with getting in a stranger’s car.

He didn’t know what to do. His mind was spiraling in circles, trying to come up with a way to escape, but every time, it just came up short. Maybe he should just stay with the others. Sure, they hated him and were better off without him, but there was nowhere else to go. He just… he just had to do everything right.

Okay. Okay, he made his decision. He was going to go back. ...After several more minutes. He needed to prepare himself, to get ready for the stress of having to figure out exactly what they all wanted from him.

His fingers itched as they grabbed his camera from the Armiger. It was okay to take _that_ , right? He had bought the camera himself, he was just keeping it out of harm’s way. Yeah, that should be okay. Taking pictures was okay.

Ignis liked Prompto’s pictures.

So Prompto wandered around downtown Lestallum, taking pictures of whatever caught his eye. He was just snapping a photo of the Disc of Cauthess when an enthusiastic voice asked from behind, “Hey! You a photographer?”

Prompto whirled around and came face-to-face with portly man. “Um, kinda, I guess,” He said nervously.

The man broke into a grin. “Mind if I see some of your shots? I’m lookin’ for a freelance photographer to take some pics,” He said, fanning his face.

Embarrassment burned Prompto’s cheeks. He had only ever shown his photos to the others, but if this man was talking about freelancing, that meant _money_ , which meant he could get out of here. So with a nod, he turned over his camera to the other man.

The man was silent as he flicked through Prompto’s camera. When he looked up again, his face was serious. “Ths are really impressive,” He said, “I would definitely love to have you take some photos for my magazine. You’d be properly compensated, of course.”

Prompto’s heart beat loudly in his chest. “H-how much?”

The man hummed. “I usually hire freelancers on a photo-by-photo basis. The one I have in mind isn’t too far away or difficult to get to, so I’d say only about 5,000 gil.”

Prompto couldn’t believe his ears. _Only_ 5,000 gil? How rich _was_ this man? “I-That’s fine, I’ll do it!” He said, “But, um, do you think I can get a slight advance? I-I know you don’t know me or whatever, um, but I need to rent a chocobo to get around, and I don’t have any money, so…” He trailed off.

The man waved his hand. “Of course, of course. Should 200 gil be a good enough advance? I _would_ give you a thousand, but I don’t know you that well, so I can’t risk it.”

“No, that’s more than enough. _Thank_ you. So much. I- just tell me what you need, sir,” Prompto said.

“Ah, kid, don’t call me “sir”. The name’s Vyv. And _you’re_ the one doing _me_ a solid. Here,” Vyv deposited a handful of gil into Prompto’s palm. “So here’s what I need: A couple of photos of the Disc of Cauthess. One from the north, and one from the south.”

“Yeah, I think I can do that,” Prompto responded.

 

* * *

 

For some reason, Prompto thought it would be a good idea to get going right away instead of waiting until the daytime.

Yeah, that had been a mistake. He was lucky his chocobo was fast, or he would have been in a lot of trouble. For the second time in ten minutes, his chocobo jumped out of the way as a pool of murky black formed right beside her. Prompto shuddered as she sprinted away from the groaning and creaking of an Iron Giant pulling itself up from the ground. He _hated_ those things.

Fortunately, halfway through his journey, the sun started peaking over the edge of the horizon, and the instances of daemonic activity became less and less until it stopped completely with the return of the sun. He relaxed into his chocobo’s neck.

He was so tired. He hadn’t slept in… how long had it been since he had last slept? It was a while. But he couldn’t sleep, he had a job to do. His phone had buzzed with texts, but Prompto just answered them simply, saying he was spending the night at his friend’s house.

Gladio seemed impressed with him, but Prompto didn’t know why. Maybe because he was standing up to Noctis in a way?

Eventually, he found a good angle, and snapped a few shots of the Disc, deleting the ones he didn’t quite like. With a groan, Prompto stretched his limbs out, getting ready for another few hours on the saddle. Vyv had suggested a shot from around the Chocobo Post, and Prompto was hardly one to turn down a chance to visit the chocochicks.

That ride took another three hours. Three hours of a sore butt and his phone ringing increasingly more frequently. He had turned off his GPS so the others wouldn’t know where he was, but every time his phone rang, his heart sank deeper and deeper into his chest. Eventually, he just silenced his phone. There. Peace and quiet.

Riding back to Lestallum, however, was the _worst_. 8 hours of sitting on a chocobo with anxiety roiling in his gut. He was so tired, he was about to fall off his bird at any given moment, and she seemed to realize this and slow her pace.

Prompto patted her neck gently. “You’re a sweetheart, you know that?” He grinned.

His chocobo gave a gentle _kweh_ and stretched her neck out like the elegant beauty she was.

“Yeah,” Prompto murmured, rubbing his eyes to keep awake, “a real sweetheart.”

 

* * *

 

Vyv was more than appreciative to Prompto’s hard work, inviting him to a small sit-in restaurant. Prompto declined the offer, though. He wanted to get out of Lestallum as quickly as he could, and he was running out of daylight to safely travel. It was already three in the afternoon, and according to Vyv, the closest haven was nearly five hours away on chocobo.

But before he left, he stocked up on as many Cup Noodle containers as he could fit in the saddlebags. While he wasn’t as obsessed with the ramen as Gladio was, it was better than starving, and he was incredibly hungry.

As he trotted down the tunnel, he made the mistake of looking at his phone.

_Fuck_.

Over five hundred missed calls between Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis, and over two thousand text messages.

He felt a cold sweat break out over his forehead and his limbs felt shaky. They must be furious with him. They realized he was gone, and they thought he was… What _would_ they think? That he… would they think that he betrayed them? He really hoped they didn’t, but he had to admit it _was_ suspicious for him to just disappear like that.

With a hiss, Prompto turned his phone off and stuffed it roughly in his pocket. There was a longing to turn back around, beg forgiveness, and do everything in his power to get back in their good graces. But he _couldn’t_ . They would just play with him, make him question what the right thing to do was, and he couldn’t _stand_ that.

He had to keep moving.

 

* * *

 

The sun was just setting as he came into view of the haven, making a wide berth around some anaks lazing nearby. He left his chocobo safely within the runes of the haven as he gathered up firewood to get a fire going. He was glad for the blue flames constantly glowing in the center of havens because in his survival training, he had only managed to start his own fire twice.

With that finally done, he sat back with a contented sigh and took a few deep breaths. It was an odd feeling to be so free. A bitter mix of loneliness and freedom. He desperately wanted to be around someone, some human who could give him love and affection, yet the freedom from fearing what others thought of him was truly gratifying as well.

He sighed, drawing his knees to his chest. He wished this could all be easy, that it could all go away. But of course he wasn’t that lucky. Life was hard. When he wanted _just one_ break, it threw a damned marathon at him to run. He was tired and angry and he hated everything about it.

He pounded his fist on the ground as tears threatened to spill. _Gods_ , why was he such a pathetic _loser_?

A soft _kweh_ from behind made him jump, but then a warmth pressed into his back. His chocobo craned her neck to nuzzle the side of his head, and he bit back a laugh. “Y’know, girl? I think you’re my best friend right now. How pitiful is that?”

His bird just trilled calmingly, settling down for the night.

“Yeah, you’re a good girl. You sleep tight.”

 

* * *

 

Prompto didn’t normally remember his dreams. If he didn’t _know_ that everyone dreams, he would have said that he just _didn’t_. But Ignis had set him straight on that front.

_Ignis_.

The memory of Ignis’ disappointed gaze, scooting his chair away from Prompto, not answering his multitudinous questions, it all churned in the bottom of his gut. He wanted to throw it all up, to get rid of this sickening feeling.

But before he could even entertain the possibility, something nuzzled against his boot. It was a blue-ish, fox-like creature with some red thing stuck on its forehead. It was rather cute.

He bent down and started petting its head, but the creature quickly bounced away, squeaking. Almost at the same time, Prompto felt his phone vibrate. He glanced at it, expecting a text from Noctis or Ignis or Gladio, but instead, it was from an unknown number.

**Hello, Prompto. My name is Carbuncle.**

Prompto furrowed his eyebrows. What an odd text. He started texting back, but he heard a squeak, and a new text came up.

**You can just talk to me! I can understand you!**

Now he was even more confused. What was going on? “Um, hi?” He asked, glancing around uncertainty to see if there was a person nearby, watching him. But there was only the little fox creature.

The little fox creature trotted up to him and placed its paws on his leg, chirping and squeaking.

“Yeah, little buddy, I-”

Prompto was cut off by his phone buzzing.

**Who are you talking to? I’m right in front of you!**

Prompto looked. The only thing in front of him was the fox creature.

Well, this _was_ a dream. He knelt down and smiled at the creature. “Hey, buddy, how’re you doing?”

**Good! But you’re not, are you?**

The words took Prompto aback. “I-I’m fine. I… I will be, at least.

**Prompto, I know you’re lying. And it’s my fault.**

“What do you mean it’s your fault?” Prompto asked cautiously.

The fox creature, Carbuncle, looked down. **I made you dream the others hated you. I control dreams.**

Something in Prompto’s gut just dropped. “I- _what_?”

More squeaking. **I’m Noctis’ friend. He mentioned that you sometimes think the others hate you. I… I thought I’d take you to a dream world where they did, so you could realize your friends don’t. But…** Carbuncle nosed Prompto’s hand apologetically. **I underestimated how much help you need. And I didn’t tell you what I did. I** **_hoped_ ** **you would realize it was just a dream, but I was wrong.**

Prompto stared at this cute, fuzzy creature. It looked back at him with big doe eyes. He wanted nothing more than to snuggle it and call it cute pet names and feed it treats, but something inside him rebelled at the thought that this creature was responsible for the anxiety he’d felt for the last… 24 hours 48? Whatever.

But it was so _cute_.

“You mean… You mean, like, Ignis hating me, and Gladio getting mad at me, and Noctis thinking I’m a loser, that… that was all a dream?”

Carbuncle squeaked again. **Yes. I’m so sorry. I thought you would realize it was all a dream. I’ve been trying to contact Noctis to tell him, but he hasn’t gone to sleep yet. He’s… he’s looking for you. He’s very worried. And the others are too.**

Prompto furrowed his brows. They were worried… They cared… “So they _don’t_ hate me?”  

Carbuncle’s ears turned downward, and it jumped into his lap. **No. They don’t. They care for you so much and they expect nothing out of you but to be yourself.**

Prompto swallowed. “So… so I wake up, tell them wh-where I am, and… and they’ll want me back?”

**Yes.**

With a nod Prompto pet Carbuncle’s head. “So are you like a spirit or something?”

**I’m actually a minor god!**

Prompto nearly knocked Carbuncle off his lap in shock. “You’re a _what_ ?” He had a _god_ in his _lap_ ? He was _petting_ a _god_?

Carbuncle chirped. **Well, not a** **_god_ ** **. But I have magical powers and commune with the gods.**

Okay. That… that wasn’t quite so bad. But… but still. “Is that why you can control dreams?”

**Yep!**

“So… can you make me wake up now? I...I wanna talk with the others.”

Perhaps as a response, Prompto came to with the sun shining and his chocobo breathing behind him. He reached for his phone. There were more messages from different people. Iris, Cor, Cindy (Holy shit, he had Cindy’s _number_ ), even a few calls from _Cid_.

With a trembling finger, he pressed Noctis’ contact icon.

After just a few seconds, Noctis picked up.

“Prompto? Prom, where are you? Are you hurt? What happened?” Noctis didn’t even give Prompto time to speak. In the background, Prompto could hear worried mutterings.

“I…” His voice cracked. “I’m okay. It’s a long story. I’m at Narcie Haven. It… it’s just outside Lestallum.”

“We’ll be right there Prompto, don’t move. Okay? Can you stay on the phone with me? Is that okay?”

“Uh, yeah… yeah, that’s fine.”

 

* * *

 

Prompto’s stomach was in knots for the entire hour it took to drive from Lestallum to the haven. Noctis was doing his best to fill the time with meaningless chatter, but there were long moments of silence that stretched out when no one said anything.

Finally, Prompto heard a car idling nearby, and jumped off the haven. His feet were scrambling for traction the second they hit the ground. His phone lay forgotten on the haven ground, but it didn’t matter. He could hear voices calling to him through the trees.

“Noct! Iggy! Gladio!” Prompto leaped into their arms, holding on tight and hiccupping through the tears.

“Prom,” Noctis breathed, fingers gripping Prompto’s shirt tightly, “What happened?”

Prompto pulled back with a light chuckle. “Let’s just say, Carbuncle is a bit of an asshole.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: I called this fic "Carbuncle is an Asshole" as I was working on it before I came up with this name


End file.
